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We often see fitness as a binary issue. Either you’re working out
and eating healthy or you’re not. But this is like telling your
employees either we’re a successful company or we’re not.

The problem with this mindset is that it leaves no room for
progress.

Every entrepreneur knows setting smaller goals is necessary to
achieve long-term results. Yet when it comes to fitness, those
same people get caught up in the long-term goal of losing weight
and ignore their biggest motivator: momentum.

Key performance indicators help us measure progress for
everything from employee retention to customer-conversion rates.
They ensure we’re not just treading water or repeating the same
mistakes, but rather pushing us where we need to be -- whether
it’s in five months or five years.

This same strategy is useful for motivating yourself to get in
shape, and once you’ve started achieving your goals, doing more
gets easier.

Set your fitness KPIs. Any change -- from taking
a five-minute walk every day to getting down to a specific weight
-- requires making long-term adjustments to your behavior. Just
like building your business, you’re more likely to become healthy
if you set goals and measure your progress.

1. Consistency. This is the key to building
momentum and making lifestyle changes. No matter what activities
you do, make them consistent.

2. Diet. A healthy diet of fresh, real food is
essential for fat loss and muscle gain. You can’t be healthy and
disregard the sustenance you give your body, it just doesn’t
work.

3. Weight training. Your fitness routine should
include some weightlifting, even if you’re not aiming to be a
professional body builder. It’s important for bone and muscle
strength and maintaining a healthy weight.

4. Cardio. Aerobic workouts are important for
overall health and disease prevention. Exercises such as swimming
and biking strengthen your heart, lungs and muscles and lower
your risk of developing osteoporosis and heart disease.

5. Rest. You won’t improve if rest isn’t a part
of your routine. This includes getting enough sleep and resting
your mind. If you’re mentally burned out, you won’t have energy
to train.

Once you understand these basic health requirements, you can set
more specific goals for each KPI. However, you’ll need a plan to
accomplish them. Here are four strategies I use to meet my goals:

Have a mission statement. As entrepreneurs, we
intrinsically understand why we need mission statements. It gives
us an identity, a framework for growth and a way to focus our
efforts. My mission to be a fitness model means using diet,
cardio and weight training in specific ways.

Use an easily visible chart. Regularly update a
chart of weekly fitness-related metrics to see your routine and
progress. I keep track of my weight, cardio times, weight
training days and sleep patterns.

Keep a journal about your fitness experiences.
Journaling is a great way to track your progress and plan your
next steps. I keep a log of my thoughts and energy levels every
day. This helps me tweak my diet and training for maximum effects
on my energy levels.

Use rewards to energize your daily routine. Give
yourself rewards for completing small goals. For example, if I
get my weight and cardio workouts done first thing in the
morning, I reward myself with a trail mix or chocolate protein
bar. This helps me achieve my goals and gives me a positive way
to start my workday.